Walgreen Co. agreed to acquire a stake in Alliance Boots GmbH because its business is mostly in the U.K., which it viewed as less risky than the rest of Europe, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Dollar General Corp., the discount retailer acquired by KKR & Co. in 2007, is fetching a premium in the debt markets as it approaches an investment-grade rating and takes market share from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other larger competitors as the economy struggles to accelerate.

Bi-Lo LLC agreed to buy Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. for about $560 million, more than tripling the supermarket operator’s number of stores in the U.S. South to almost 700 and helping it compete with Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

CVS Caremark Corp., the largest provider of prescription drugs in the U.S., posted third-quarter profit that exceeded analysts’ estimates and raised its earnings forecast for the year after winning customers from Walgreen Co.